Hip Hop 101 for those melaninly challenged

1. Don't think cause a rapper says it you can say it too, or you can say it as long as there is no black people in the room

2. The whole "er" "a" thang is irrelevant cause in the south everybody says everything with a a

3. You can sing along just don't sing that part and be aware of the lyrics you are injesting.

Alright heres a little story bout a girl from East Oakland, who grew up on Hip Hop and saved up her bus tokens, to trade em for money to buy her some hip hop musica, she would sing along to the words except that one part, when the rapper would get on the track on some rapper type yap, and over the beat that slaps all you'd here is N-word N-word this N-word that, now that lil girl of about 8 new better then to repeat that word, she new better then to think just cause it had "a" at the end that she could bend the rules and sing along to the song, so from then on she started listening to songs, that were labeled as "conscious" cause for one they talked about the shit that mattered to her, instead of rims and champagne and fur, they were talking bout coming together and building up our community, respecting sisters and having unity, but another reason that this girl liked this style of hip hop that she has never admitted to for personal reasons and what not, is that the music didn't say the n-word as much so she could sing along and on and on and on, and lyrically spit back every verse, so this is just one story about a hip hop head, with a thirst for good music that she would bump loud from the time she woke up till she went to bed...

1. My cuzo suggested making up another word while singing along
2. Some folks just pause
3. Other people say Brotha or Sista instead of...
4. I have heard people say "wigga" as a joke but i think thats hella dumb.
5. You could chose to not sing along to any song that has the N-word in it so then you would not be tempted to say or even think the n-word, cause on the real if your a non racist white person you should not want to say a word that puts you in the same category as some of your cracker ancestors, right?

to be continued...

No Thank You

Do I want to honor the many colonizers of the past and present who play that concur and divide shit with black and brown folks? NO THANK YOU.


my thanksgiving is Filipino soul food and has nothing to do with honoring pilgrims, in less than a week we will be basting the turkeys, cooking up some food thats good for the soul in large amounts so the whole fam can come together and give thanks. I love giving thanks but what are we giving thanks for. I know I am NOT giving thanks to all the colonizers in History who tried to make Native People from Puerto Rico to San Francisco extinct.

So I know its already been spoke on many times but its something that I always want to point out because Native issues are not something of the past, the Government still has some messed up policies, and if you think there aren't any Native folks left, I suggest you either go to your local reservation, or show up to my school in March for Pow Wow and see how we do. Heres my school Newspapers take on Thanksgiving (thanks Anna):

In his Oct. 3, 1863 “Proclamation of Thanksgiving,” Lincoln wrote, “To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come … that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.”When Lincoln wrote this spiritual decree, he likely didn’t perceive that Native American religion would be outlawed within the same generation and would remain banned for more than 50 years.

If he had portended the future, he might have had second thoughts about sanctioning a day to give thanks for the civil rights violations perpetrated on indigenous peoples. Perhaps, instead, he would have chastised the country for wanting to celebrate more than 500 years of land theft, racial oppression and genocides. Our idealism leads us to hope so, anyway.

While the ban on the Sun Dance was eventually lifted, Native Americans still struggle for full, unimpeded access to their spiritualities. We don’t have space to go into the intricacies of how American Indian spirituality continues to be suppressed. There are vast informational resources on Native American perceptions of Thanksgiving on the Internet, which we encourage everybody to search.

One example of ongoing oppression was recently underreported in New Orleans. Last week, a five-year-old Seminole boy was granted permission to keep his braided hair at his elementary school, a long-standing spiritual custom of his nation, according to the Times-Picayune.

Curtis Hario had originally been told that he would have to either cut his hair, wear his braid in a bun or be expelled.

Hario was represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Native American Rights Fund in his fight for his civil rights on religious and ethnic grounds. Our country is in shame for making a child fight for his spiritual rights.

As you celebrate Thanksgiving however your traditions dictate, we encourage that you become historically informed and sensitized at its greater ramifications for people of the First Nations.And possibly, the day after, you will pause to respect this Friday as the long overdue first Native American Heritage Day.

if you in the bay, come thru

i grew up going to La Pena

La Pena is the place I saw Zioni perform for the first time, I took a field trip there in the 6th grade to watch El Norte (wit my spanish class) I saw the Attik perform there, i saw Shannon spit one of her sick ass poems as a 13 year old (i think if not then hella young espacially for the immense talent that she lets seap out of her mouth) and many other talented folks from singers to poets, and when I wanna make a plan with my god mama she usually has to check that she's not doing volunteer work for Kehila or La Pena...(she stays volunteering and going to events). From the community work to the dope music shows La Pena is the place where it goes done!!!

If you are in the bay please check out this show so i can vicariously live threw you cause i hella wish i was able to be there:

Heres a little background on La Pena:

As a welcoming gathering place, La Peña provides opportunities for artists to share diverse cultural traditions, to create and perform their work, and to support and interface with diverse social movements.

Annually, La Peña presents over 200 events with emerging and established artists; organizes an arts education program; produces new works by local artists, presents internationally and nationally renowned artists, and houses a Latin American café which complements the organization's mission.

The peña tradition started in Latin America in the early sixties. The main idea, developed especially by Chilean composer and singer Violeta Parra, was to have a gathering place where artists of all disciplines could share a space. The mission of the peña was to provide good food, music and an overall aesthetic response to an institutional culture that did not provide the space for other creative forms to exist. Peñas in Chile became a major backbone of the cultural program during Salvador Allende's government from 1970 to 1973. It was here where artists-poets, musicians, painters, cooks - gathered to preserve cultural forms and to create new ones.

Our Center was modeled on that specific cultural history. La Peña Cultural Center was started by a multi-racial group of Latin Americans and North Americans as a response to the military coup that overthrew the socialist government of Salvador Allende. The coup happened on Sept. 11, 1973 and was aided and abetted by the U.S. government. La Peña incorporated on September 11, 1974, one year after the military coup and opened its doors in June of 1975.

After one of the bloodiest military coups in Latin American history thousands of individuals and families went into exile throughout the world. Many came to the U.S. and eventually moved to the S.F. Bay Area. Exiles brought to the U.S. their memories and the cultural experiences of having created gathering places for communal art. Thus, La Peña became an imagined country for them as it welcomed this community in diaspora. In turn, the exiles brought their art, music, food, and aspirations for democracy to the center, creating a unique and historical relationship ever since. Some of the exiles that worked with and at La Peña returned to Chile to join the resistance; sadly, a number of these individuals died in the effort to bring democracy to Chile. Other exiles that were related to the Center fought alongside the Sandinistas. However, many of the exiles stayed here, built families, communities and kept working with La Peña.

In the late seventies, war came to Central America. The Nicaraguan community organized support for the end of the Somoza dictatorship. La Peña created special programming, bringing musicians, poets and painters to contribute to these democratic efforts. The war moved in the early eighties to El Salvador and spread throughout Central America. Because of the experience of helping the Chilean exiles, and due to the fact that the Chileans were an integral part of the center, La Peña was a safe-haven for many Central American refugees. A historical semiotic reading of the mural at La Peña can reveal these events that took place in the history of Latin America.

In addition, La Peña has made concrete efforts to foster a close relationship with groups in Latin America that organize national and international cultural events. La Peña sent delegates to the Cultural Congress in Chile during the dictatorship, to Latin American New Song Festivals in Ecuador and Nicaragua, as well as to conferences in Cuba. The La Peña Chorus has toured Cuba, Chile, and Chiapas, Mexico.

The founders and the staff that have since joined La Peña have always made sure to link the arts and culture to a vision for peace and social justice. Since our beginnings, we have also pursued linkages with local groups such as the American Indian Movement, the Black Panthers, and the Comexas organizers in East Oakland, the Emiliano Zapata Street Academy, and the No on Prop. 209 work, and other local progressive groups. Important to us has been the long history of working with the United Farm Workers. Given this relationship, Cesar Chávez celebrated his 50th birthday at La Peña. In June of 2000, another UFW co-founder, Dolores Huerta celebrated her 70th birthday at the center. Moreover, La Peña also has maintained a close relationship with KPFA, and at one point we had a weekly regular program produced at La Peña with La Peña staff and volunteers. On the international level, La Peña was an active participant in the anti-apartheid movement.

Our place has been the principal articulator and has supported important cultural groups and their ideas. Grupo Raiz-which was born at La Peña-together with El Tecolote¹s Acción Latina, organized and created the basis for the "Encuentro del Canto Popular," which later became a Bay Area institution. The renowned group Altazor, a feminist expression of Nueva Canción, was also created at La Peña. Dr. Loco credits La Peña as the place where his band began its career. Culture Clash has always mentioned and cherished La Peña for our initial support for their artistic endeavors. In sum, we have been a crucial and active component of the cultural scene in the Bay Area, the state, the country and the world.

Therefore, our understanding of our mission as a cultural center has been to make the necessary connections between art and politics. At the same time we have sought to make the connection between local, national and international efforts for democracy, self-determination and a world where the gap between those who need and those who have too much will disappear.

computer drawings

My quick computer drawings of some of my favorite paintings...

The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai





with inspiration from Justin Bua-DJ

when I'm stuck at a computer without auto cad or 3d programs I try to draw (these are quick drawings actually from facebook) Usually i just play with one of the first computer programs to ever be invetented: "Paint" since I'm broke I like doing this cause although its very limited I don't have to pay for paint or other art supplies...and there's nothing to clean up : )

for all the Cup Cakers out there

Feeling this ish right here how come underground artists always do it better?


GET YA SHIT TOGETHER! foo
I ain't hating cause I cup cake too
But don't let everything revolve around yo boo
This song right here, EyeASage's words are true
I guess you can call it cup cake commandments part 2
But I hope that these young girls get un blinded and see
That having a baby ain't the fantasy its cracked up to be
Shit babies gotta eat and clothes and pampers ain't free...

back from Naw Leeeans

just got back from my trip to New Orleans Ima post a long ass rant on all the shit I saw with flicks and all that as soon as I'm at home and I get a minute to breath...

One of the best

HIP HOP OFFICIAL ARTIST OF THE WEEK


if you don't already know about this talented M.C. that goes by Bambu, then I am sorry for u.

Go get it. Get What? EXACT CHANGE!


Bambu "Crooks & Rooks" Teaser from Xylophone Films on Vimeo.

what a day to be alive

OBAMA is MY PRESIDENT!

I ain't never felt like this, I know this is just the beginning and he got a hard job ahead of him but on today I got a big cheesy smile plastered on my face, this has completely changed politics...did I mention how juiced i am to have Michelle Obama as First Lady, what a beautiful woman, and by that I mean intelligent good hearted and of course the obvious gorgeousness, woman to represent our country...there is no looking back...

I'm so ready

As I have said before Barack winning will not mean and end to the fight there will still be a huge amount of change but I am so ready to actually respect the leader in the place that I live. To know that the Leader of the country I live in shares the same hope for equality and change is gonna be something new. The last time I remember not hating the president i was about 5 years old, its gonna be crazy to have a president that I think is the best person to run the country, and who has actually made a speech that had me shed a tear. I'm so ready.

I filled out my little form so all I gotta do is go to the poll, without my Obama attire, with my id, and fill in some bubbles...I AM SO READY TO CELEBRATE OBAMA WINNING! I am so ready to like my President for the first time in my life, I am so ready to see HISTORY MADE, I am so ready to smile at the fucking republican that had the nerve to try and hate on me for speaking out that I love Obama.

YEP! So READY!

its been a long time coming but a change gon come...oh yes it is...


in a hanful of hours Obama will have won,IT IS NOT THE END,
IT HAS JUST BEGUN!